UNITED NATIONS -- Suggesting that a new peace initiative may be under way in the Persian Gulf, the Soviet Union on Saturday night asked the Security Council to postpone approving a new resolution condemning Iraq. Shortly before the resolution was to be debated and approved, the council postponed its session. Arab diplomats said that at Iraq`s invitation, Yevgeny Primakov, the special envoy of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, had arrived in Baghdad, presumably to talk with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, whom he had met earlier in the month.

When commissioners decided in 2012 that the city's water, wastewater and storm water fees should increase 5 percent annually, they didn't expect they would still have to vote on those increases every year. But the law they passed said the increase would take effect "as established and adopted by resolution," meaning commissioners would have to pass a new resolution every year implementing the increases. Commissioners last week approved deleting those words from the law, which will now make the increases automatic.

By Mohamad Bazzi Foreign Correspondent and Information from The Washington Post was used to supplement this report, October 4, 2002

The chief U.N. weapons inspector said Thursday he would likely delay sending a team of monitors to Iraq until the Security Council adopts a new resolution for a tougher inspection process. Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, had reached an agreement with Iraqi officials on Tuesday to resume inspections and send advance teams to Baghdad by Oct. 19. But after briefing the 15-member council on Thursday, Blix said he would hold off if the council did not adopt a new resolution by then.

The official youth sports organization for Cooper City is under fire from one commissioner who says the organization bilked the city out of $250,000 and held a stealthy, illegal meeting with some elected officials. The city and the Optimist Club say that neither the city nor the sports organization did anything wrong, that all the money is accounted for and that the organization provides a valuable service at a significant savings to the youth and the families of Cooper City. Commissioner John Sims says city taxpayers shouldn't be paying for facilities and services that non-residents are using.

If the School Board has its way, year-round education will become a reality. How? By denying democracy, or more aptly put, by stuffing the ballot boxes. Democracy in its purist sense exists in the old town hall meeting. Simply put, any townsperson interested in voting for or against a new resolution would just show up and vote. Let`s assume that the town consisted of 5,000 people. If 2,000 did not vote, does that mean that 3,000 favored the new resolution, instead of the actual 1,000?

Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that President Bush's admonishment of Israel on Thursday was an important step, and he welcomed the impending visit of Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Mideast. "I think the announcement today was encouraging, and I have spoken to the secretary of state, and I am happy that the U.S. is becoming much more engaged," Annan said after a ceremony in which Germany presented the United Nations with three symbolic pieces of the Berlin Wall. Bush's unequivocal call for an Israeli withdrawal unlocked a jam in the proceedings of the Security Council, which has been all but paralyzed for two days by Arab efforts to pass a resolution telling both Israelis and Palestinians to act on Resolution 1402, a measure passed last weekend.

American and British diplomats forged ahead Wednesday with the drafting of a United Nations Security Council resolution that would lay out a strict timetable and terms for U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq, despite more indications that other countries would not support such a measure. The renewed push for a strong resolution -- including a threat of "consequences" if Iraq does not comply -- underscored the Bush administration's desire to get a new U.N. mandate in place before inspectors return to Iraq, which could happen within a few weeks.

When commissioners decided in 2012 that the city's water, wastewater and storm water fees should increase 5 percent annually, they didn't expect they would still have to vote on those increases every year. But the law they passed said the increase would take effect "as established and adopted by resolution," meaning commissioners would have to pass a new resolution every year implementing the increases. Commissioners last week approved deleting those words from the law, which will now make the increases automatic.

A Hallandale Beach commissioner who claims his city is curbing his free speech had a chance to speak up in a federal courtroom on Tuesday. A federal judge is about to have the final say. "Right now I have a piece of duct tape wrapped around my mouth," Commissioner Keith London said after the hourlong hearing. London sued his city last month over his colleagues' motion prohibiting discussion of a pending lawsuit with Reuters/Waste Management Inc. The motion also barred commissioners from talking about "waste management, garbage, trash, recycling and related issues."

The Bush administration Wednesday launched a final drive to overhaul U.N. arms inspections in Iraq, pressing the 15-nation Security Council to adopt by today a tough new inspection resolution that grants the Iraqi government a "last opportunity" to voluntarily disarm. With support growing in the council for passage of a new resolution that would give U.N. inspectors the right to immediate access to any place in the country, Secretary of State Colin Powell canceled a trip to Asia to address any last-minute crises at the United Nations.

Editor's note: An interesting thing happened when we asked you to share your New Year's resolutions this year: very few of you did. What's up with that? Are fewer of you making New Year's resolutions? Have we given up the ritual of promising to stop smoking, get up earlier in the morning or not go to bed angry? Yet if we make promises out loud, the experts say we stand a better chance of following through. It's why nutritionists tell you to keep a journal if you want to lose weight.

The New Year offers a fresh start, a chance to resolve to do better this time around. Some people will diet, complete unfinished projects or find a way to better save for rainy days. For those in public life, the new year similarly offers the opportunity to attack anew the challenges we face together. Here are 12 resolutions we'd like to see kept in '14. Stem the rush to tax and spend, spend, spend. Florida's median family income dropped almost 12 percent in the past 10 years, while prices hiked for housing, insurance, gas, electricity, tuition, food, you name it. But as the economy recovers, many local governments want to raise taxes and fees.

By Sara Rivero-Conil, PsyD and By Sara Rivero-Conil, PsyD, December 28, 2012

If you want to make some positive changes for your family, January is a great time to make plans for the future. To help you get 2013 off to a healthy start, here are ten New Year's resolutions to consider for South Florida families. 1. Schedule an annual check-up. Both parents and children benefit from an annual visit to the doctor. Your pediatrician or primary care physician can assess your child's health, answer your questions and be sure all immunizations are current. You can also get solid information about your own health, as well as personalized advice on enjoying a healthy lifestyle.

It pays to make that New Year's resolution. Just committing yourself gives you more of a chance to achieve your goal "than someone who hasn't made a formal resolution," according to a New York Times news analysis. The Time article, "Be It Resolved," focuses mainly on losing weight. But is also true for other goals such as saving money or paying off debt. To read the full article, click here for The New York Times article .

Board-certified real estate attorney Gary M. Singer answers housing questions in this space each Friday. To ask him a question about short sales, mortgages, refinancing, homeowner's associations or any other residential real estate topic, click here . The beginning of a new year is when many Americans take stock of their lives. And with this being a housing column, I offer 10 New Year's resolutions for homeowners, in no particular order: 1. If you have been stressing out about being “underwater” on your mortgage, now may be a good time to discuss your options (short sale, deed in lieu of foreclosure , walking away, staying put)

At the very least, you should make a resolution to read this entire article about sticking to New Year's resolutions. "Many people fail, but it is really healthy to still make resolutions," said Joann Gorn, a Boca Raton psychotherapist. "New Year's is the best time [to do so] because you can best embrace a new start. " First, here are some statistics you usually hear every year. They come from the Journal of Clinical Psychology's study in 2002 that gets cited each year: Percentage of Americans who usually make New Year's resolutions: 45% Percentage of people who are successful in achieving their resolution: 8% Resolutions maintained past first month: 64% Resolutions maintained past six months: 26% Among the top three resolves are to lose weight, save money and quit bad habits.

The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution Thursday welcoming the recently formed Iraqi Governing Council but remained stalemated on whether to expand the U.N. role in Iraq. The U.S.-proposed resolution, adopted by a 14-0 margin, represented a mild endorsement of the council as a transitional body and created a new administrative office to oversee U.N. efforts in helping rebuild Iraq. U.S. officials hope the measure, by demonstrating U.N. approval of U.S.-led reconstruction efforts, will encourage ambivalent countries to provide more support.

The official youth sports organization for Cooper City is under fire from one commissioner who says the organization bilked the city out of $250,000 and held a stealthy, illegal meeting with some elected officials. The city and the Optimist Club say that neither the city nor the sports organization did anything wrong, that all the money is accounted for and that the organization provides a valuable service at a significant savings to the youth and the families of Cooper City. Commissioner John Sims says city taxpayers shouldn't be paying for facilities and services that non-residents are using.